Drilling bucket hammer



` k G J, SQLOMQN I 2,152,22

'- DRILLING BUCKET HAMMER Filed March 6, 1957 f 2 Sheets-Sheet l A l3l'.

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and): l tier/ zeg- Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED -sTATEs PATENT .or-FICEGuillaume 'Jean Solomon, Paris, France Application March 6, 1937, SerialNo. 129,294

In France May 12, 1936 2 Claims.

The present 'invention concerns a machine specially built for thesinking of wells, (either vertical orv little inclined), of any diameterand in all grounds, by drawing out the ear-th and for any work of thesame kind (boring, mining,

etc.).

The present machine constitutes a hammer operated by a compressed fluid,such as compressed air. The lower part of the hammer comprisesjaws'closed by a piston. 'I'he earth which has been acted on by thehammer and has consequently entered the machine is thus gripped betweenthe jaws and then raised tothe surface.

One of the principal characteristics of the invention is thateitherseveral pneumatic or electric vibrators, or a second piston,according to the different sorts of grounds, may cause-the hammer whichhas arrived at the bottom of the well after until the whole cavity ofthe machine is filled with earth. This results in a high increase incapacity of the machine and a material reduction in the weight thereofbeing rendered possible.

Another advantage of the invention is that the pressure of the air isvery easily-changed, so thatthe power needed for each sort of earth,-can be very easily obtained.

Ihe bucket-hammer may be used to determine the dynamic lresistance ofthe ground at the bottom of the well, to vsink tubes used to restrainearth, and owing to the diierent tools provided, for all sinkingoperations.

The objects of my invention are attained by the apparatus shown in theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1v is a vertical sec-tion of abucket hammer provided with several vibrators and three jaws (in Figure1 one vibrator only may be seen).

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine regarded from below and with thejaws removed.

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the hammer with a second pistoninstead of the vibrators.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of a cylindrical element provided withjaws and used `for cozy grounds.

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the'three knives of the bore-bit whichis used for hard and. compact grounds.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section of the ram shown in Figure 5, regardedfrom below.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section of the boringbit, regarded from below.

Referring to the drawings, the machine shown a free fall, to continue tosink into the ground in Figure 1 comprises a cylinder I inside of whichworks a piston 2 which is connected to the jaws 20 by a piston rod 3.The jaws 20 are pivotally mounted in forked blocks II.

The cylinder I isclosed at its lower end by 5 an end cover 5. Bolts I9(Figure 2) and a packing gasket I4 between the cylinder and the endcover lmake the cylinderv absolutely air-tight. Other bolts IU(Figure 1) secure the blocks II to the cylinder and end cover. Theseblocks may 10 .be connected differently. For instance they may each bekeyed to the end cover by a key 56, as shown in Figure 5.

There is a jaw-20 for each block II. The jaws are shaped to produce whenclosed. a substan- 15 tially conical bucket. It is advantageous toprovide the jaws with claws. The jaw pivot I2 engages a lug I 'I on thejaw so that the jaw may turn on its pivot. A lug 2I is provided on thejaw 2U and has a slot 22 engaged by a pivot stud 20 23 which is carriedby a lug I5 formed on a collar 24. The collar 24 is secured te thepiston rod 3` by nuts I6 and I'l and a key 25.

Figure 1 showsthe wide-open position of the jaw 20 in which the stud 23is at one end of the 25 slot 22. A'split collar may be secured to thepiston rod 3 to reduce the length of piston stroke by impingementagainst the end cover 5.

T o produce a perfectly air-tight joint between the piston rod 3 and theend cover 5, the end 30 cover 5 isprovided with a packing gland 6 to acton a packing of oakum. Lubrication iseffected by means of a lubricatorI3.

It is obvious that the means for transmission of motion from the piston'2 to the jaws may be 35 of various forms. Another form of the said meansis shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 1, 9 is a block secured to the end cover 5 and used to securea vibrator 4 in position inside the cylinder 4. The drawings show 40only one vibrator, but there are preferably three vibrators. Thearrangement and means for securing'the vibrators may vary. For instance,they may alternatively be secured to the piston 2.

The tube required for feeding compressed air, electric current, orliquid pressure waves to the vibrator 4 is connected to the vibrator bymeans of a passage 1 drilled into the` wall ofthe cylinA der I andcommunicating with the vibrator, a union 26 being provided on thecylinder for con- 50 nection of the said tube thereto.

The space 38 beneath the piston 2 is connected to a compressed iiuidsupply by an opening 31 leading to a passage"8 which is provided in thewall of the cylinder and has a union 29 whereby it is connected to acompressed'air tube 32 forming the hauling cable.

The machine is suspended from the tube 32 the eyes 38 and the cables 3|.The space 39 above the piston 2 may be connected to the open air by theoblique passage 21 which is closed by the valve 28.

Figure 3 shows the same machine, but with a piston 48 employed insteadof vibrators tovibrate the machine. The piston slides on the piston rod3. v

'I'he hereinbefore described machine operates as follows:

In soft grounds the machine is lowered in free fall' by a capstan, thetube 32 being unwound from the drum of the capstan. The jaws are keptwide open by keeping the pressure in 39 higher than atmospheric pressurewhich exists in 38. When the machine arrives atthe bottom of the well,the jaws sink into the ground. At l this moment, the vibrators areoperated through the tube connected to the union 26 and theiraction'causes the machine to descend further until the ground iscompletelypenetrated by the jaws. The vibrators are stopped andcompressed air is injected through the tube 32, and thereby raises thepiston 2, whereby the jaws are closed. The amount of power which can beemployed to close the jaws is quite independent oi' the weight of themachine. When the machine has been hauled up, the pressure in 38 isreleased by permitting the compressed air to escape from the tube 32.The weight of the piston and the pressure existing in 39 thereupon makethe jaws open to deposit the charge of earth held by them. Theseoperations are repeated until the well is nished.

In oozy grounds, to increase the capacity oi' the machine it.isdesirable to insert a cylinder 43 (Figure 4) between the blocks Il andthe jaws. The piston rod 3 is lengthened by an extension rod 46. 'I'hejaws 49 are pivotally mounted on the lower end of the cylinder 43 andformed to tightly close up the said. lower end. Each jaw 49 is closed bythe connecting bar 58 articulated at 53 by means of a slot 52 in the jawand at 55 by means of a slot 54 in the rod 46. Exactly as in Figure 1,the translation of the linear motion of the piston into the circularmotion of the jaw can be eiIected by other means.

If the ground is very hard (with rocks or gravel) a boring-bit (Figures5, 6 and 7) is substituted for the jaws. Bars 51 are connected by keys55 to the bolts I8' shown in Figures 1 and -2 and 6 after removal of thebrackets Il from the said bolts. At the lower part 85 of the said barssteel blades 63 which constitute the boringbit are secured by bolts 54.The part 58 which is' connected to the two bars 65 ci' each of the threebranches of the boring-bit supports its three blades. A striker 68'having perforations 6| is securedto the piston rod 3, in place of thecollar 24 of Figure 1, by a cross key 25 and works in a space enclosedby a shell or casing 52.

In operation, the machine provided with the boring-bit and striker 68instead of the Jaws 28 arrives after a free fall at the bottom of thewell. The compressed fluid lifts the piston 2 of Figure 1 and thestriker 68 on the end of the rod 3 until the moment arrives when thepressure in 39 equals the sum of the pressure in 38 and the weight ofthe moving parts.' The compressed fluid is then allowed to escape from38 by releasing the compressed air in the tube 32. with the result thatthe piston 2 and striker 88 fall and the striker 68 hits the boring-bitand drives it further into the ground.

In very hard grounds the machine shown in Figure 1 is usedbut a secondpiston as shown on Figure 3 should be used in the cylinder I of the-said machine.

The machine then operates as follows:

The machine arrives at the bottom of the well with its jaws 28, Figure1, open. The compressed air passes through 31 into the space below thepiston 48 which rests on the end cover 5 and the piston 40 is therebyraised from the end cover until the pressure beneath it becomes equal tothe sum of the pressure inthe intermediate space 4l and the weight ofthe piston 48 and may beequal at the same time to the initial pressurein 39 and even greater. During the raising of the piston 48, the piston2 remains stationary. The compressed fluid from the space beneath thepiston 48 is then released by allowing the compressed air to escapefromthe tube 32. 'Ihe piston 48 then falls and hits the end cover. The jawsare thereby caused to sink further into the ground. Such operations arecontinued until the jaws are full. The air under pressure is then againdelivered through 31 until the pressure beneath the piston 48 is greaterthan the pressure in 39. This causes the piston 40 -to raise the piston2 and close the jaws. The machine is then hauled up and emptied. Theoperations may then be repeated. y

Naturally', the boring-bit may be directly connected so the cylinder andthe piston 48 may act as the striker instead of the striker 88.

The hauling cable may alternatively be an ordinary cable instead of thetube 32, and in that case, the tube 8 and the tube 32 need not take anyof the strain. Furthermore the admission and release of the compresseduid from the cylinder may be effected by means other than those binationa cylinder, a piston reciprocatable therein. jaws articulated thereto,connecting means operatively connecting the said jaws to the pisy ton,vibratory means in the said cylinder for driving the said jaws into theground, and duct means in the said cylinder for supplying motivatingpower both to the said piston and to the vibratory means.

2. A machine for sinking vertical and slightly inclined holes in theground comprising in combination, a fluid tight cylinder, pivotal jawsconnected to the cylinder, a piston within the cylinder for closing andopening the said jaws, means for introducing compressed air into thecylinder for actuating the piston in jaw-closing direction, and a secondand separately movable piston withinthe cylinder for operation by -thesaid compressed air for producing inside the cylinder impacts whicndrivethe said jaws into the ground.

GUILLAUME JEAN SOLOMON.

